Trans-Tasman agreement on printing qualifications

Printers from New Zealand or Australia will be able to migrate between the two countries with greater ease to gain work experience on completion of their trade qualifications.

While mutual recognition was given to trade qualifications in both countries in 2000, the qualifications available to industry have increased and changed since then.

PrintNZ Training (Industry Training Organisation) and IBSA (Innovation & Business Skills Australia) have just completed joint work to determine the similarities and differences between the qualifications available in New Zealand and Australia in 2007. The two countries have now signed a Trans-Tasman Mutual Agreement of Printing Qualifications.

While not all qualifications have equivalents, there are many similarities between most qualifications. A prospective employer will be able to access a list of New Zealand and Australian trade qualifications to determine each country’s equivalent. The employee can be expected to perform tasks at a similar level in both countries.

PrintNZ Training Chief Executive, Joan Grace, says: “Signing this Agreement is an important step as we recognise that many apprentices look to gain work experience on both sides of the Tasman.”

Innovation & Business Skills Australia Chief Executive Officer, Sharon Coates, says: “Industry is more and more aware of the value of global skills recognition. With an increasingly mobile population, there is a need for training outcomes to be portable.”

In future any development or review of units of competency and qualifications will see the involvement of both countries to ensure consistency in practices and terminology. This may eventually lead to the same qualifications being available in New Zealand and Australia.